FORT PICKETT VA -- Pfc. Jingyi Sun speaks Mandarin.
The 24-year-old assaultman with Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment was born in Shanghai, China. He said he came to America with his family when he was five-years-old and has been America ever since.
Sun said the movie Full Metal Jacket inspired him to join the Marines. He enlisted March 21, and has now been in the Marines for about six months.
He along with 900 other Marines and Sailors took part in the battalion's Deployment for Training exercise, which took place Sept. 6-23, on Fort Pickett.
This was his first time participating in an exercise of this magnitude, he said.
"I'm having a good time, sleeping under the stars and getting to practice real-life scenarios," he said.
His job in the Marine Corps entails acting as a regular rifleman, with some additional capabilities.
"In the Marine Corps we can do a lot of things," he said. "We can provide support by fire with our shoulder-fired rocket launcher. We deal with demolition charges to construct and deconstruct. We also deal support (riflemen) by breaching doors, walls, rooftops."
Sun, along with the rest of the battalion, are scheduled to attach to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit a few days after the training, and later deploy with the MEU.
"I'm definitely excited about getting on a MEU," he said.